Kabobo: Rare Songbird

Hearts of Bisrockers were first captured by the chattering of Kabobo in "Akong Kalipay". This was when Nico Miguel "Gas" Raagas in his soothing voice, resembling somewhat that of the rare songbird of Mt. Kabobo in southeast Zaire, Africa, chirped to "abi ko'g imposibleng ma-in love sa babayeng lima na'y uyab".

Boy! You will love the guitar arrangement for this. It lulled the heart of Ryan Mark Borinaga, the anchor of "OkRyan" over at dyLA when the group did an acoustic rendition, during a live interview weeks back.

Nico or Gas, in leading his band "Kabobo" to a flight over Smash airwaves, churred to "Enteng" that hits at the use of cheat's codes in tests/examinations when others are burning brows to hurdle such with flying colors. "Timpla'g kape/nahurot lima ka pakete/mata gahapdos, gibulikat, gipugos; humol ti-il sa planggana/memorize makabuang man na/seryoso'g tu-on aron di matanggong/ug ngano man ning hitabo-a/giyano lag pagawas sa iyang kodigo/hala ma'm si Enteng ga-cheating nasad/hala mam si Enteng ga- cheating/di ko palabot di ko mosugot.

Yes you heard it right! The song is by kewl Kabobo! The band is also behind "Tulo 700" (Three for 700), which is my pick. "Sus tawn ga-antos nag-laway, nagpanilap sa display nga

siomai/agwanta ice water ra ug pan/para lang tawn ka mapalitan/stuffed toy, flowers, naa pay chocolate/napakyas, nailad, kapa-it/myembro man diay ka sa tulo seven hundred nga babaye."

Kabobo which should not be mistaken for kabibi (that's tagalog for shell, honey!) was formed two years ago by one Mass Communications student and four nursing students, all of them from Southwestern University, who never nursed wounds though, but flew with plums after plums after plums in their bid to soar high on air lanes.

Nico along with Rolex "Chikoy" Cuizon (guitar), Jose Mari "JM" Bacalso (rhythm), Rowe "Owe" Cuizon (drums) and John Andrew "Tulits" Gulayan (bass guitar) whistled, bubbled, tinkled and zitted to the tune of being champions in the Siglakas at SWU last year, in the E-Mall inter-school band competition last September 30 with 20 participating bands, and at the Kahayag Café Open Mic Nite, thereafter, among seven competing bands that just wanna had fun with the wing-snapping Kabobo.

Kabobo is taken from what taxonomy classified as Apalis kaboboensis, or birds that are restricted to montane bamboo patches on Mt. Kabobo in southeast Zaire, which are elusive, thus hard to spot.

Kabobos belong to familiae Cisticoladae, genus Cisticola - a group of small Old World songbirds, limited to open habitats like grasslands, scrubs, and deserts which might be the reason why the heart of their distribution is in Africa, and rarely migrate to neighboring continents.

The group picked the name for the bird's distinctive songs that they hope to match in vocalization prowess. Winding, siffling Kabobo band looks forward to the completion of their Extended Play album with six songs this month as they fuse in the styles exemplified by Wolfgang, Dicta License, Incubus, Gangrene, Smooth Friction, Urban Dub, Rage Against The Machine, Bread, and Francisco "Bamboo" Mañalac (former main man of another bird specie, Rivermaya).

Last July 8, Kabobo did a birdcall as one of the front acts for the launching of Gangrene the Album at Handuraw Events Café. Also last July 23 for the acquaintance party of SWU College of Nursing. And last July 28 jammed with Missing Filemon, Aggressive Audio, Indephums, Yield, Ossified and Mantiquilla for the Bisrockers Nite concert in Canduman, Mandaue City.

Email the Kabobo nest at [email protected]